Mailport & PS Advisor

PS Advisor: Backing Plate and Self-tapping Screw Tips

Athreaded backing plate is a common approach to eliminating nuts in through bolts. We’ve used threaded backing plates for mounting jammers to thin-walled spars...

Mailport: winch handle holders; pets on board

THE WINCH HOLSTER With regards to your recent report on winch handle holders (see “Winch Handle Holders,” PS July/August 2023), another approach to winch handle...

PS Advisor: Combatting Mildew on a Moored Boat

In your recent report “Understanding Dew Point to Prevent Mildew,” (see Inside Practical Sailor blog) there is the comment, “curiously, the best way to...

Mailport: Tillers, bilge pumps, and lazy jacks

REDUCING CHAIN TWIST With regards to responses to your Inside PS blog post on chain twist “How Well Do Swivels Reduce Chain Twist?” as with...

PS Advisor: Using Acids to Clean Propellers

We recently received a letter from a reader asking us which acids might be used to clean a bronze propeller. Although we’ve found it...

Mailport: Tillers, bilge pumps, and lazy jacks

TILLERS VS. WHEEL I sailed a Yankee 30 for 10 years — tiller steering — and recently moved up to a “big sister” of the...

PS Advisor: Complacency and the Experienced Sailor

The past few years have made it clear that age and experience doesn’t necessarily translate into safety on the water. In fact, a number...

Mailport: Winch Maintenance, Painting Jib, DIY Mainsail Cover

BLANKET WINCH SERVICE Regarding your blog post “Simple Tips on Servicing Your Sailboat Winches,” I do my winches every two years when the boat is...

PS Advisor: Tacking and Jibing with a Tiller Pilot

In very light winds the tiller pilot will make corrections that are too small and the boat will not turn quickly enough to complete...

Mailport: Charley Morgan, Locker Safety, Fast Bottom Paint

SALUTE TO CHARLEY MORGAN Regarding your memorial to Charley Morgan and his enduring boat designs (see “Eight Bells for Charley Morgan,” PS February 2023), your praise for...

Swann 44 MKII – The Performance Family Cruising Sailboat

Step aboard the legendary Swan 44 MkII – a bluewater cruiser built for serious sailors. In this video, we give you a full tour...

Latest Sailboat Review

Catalina 25 Used Boat Review

The Catalina 25 is not exceptionally fast, stylish, or spacious compared to newer widebody models, and while the construction and workmanship are adequate, they too are not exceptional. But because of the builder's strict adherence to a philosophy of offering a relatively spacious design, relatively well made, at a reasonable price, and backing up the product with generally good customer service, the Catalina 25 has turned out to be one of the most successful small cruising sailboats ever built, with 5,332 boats sold between 1976 and 1990, when the company ceased producing the model as demand tailed off.